Somewhere along the way, every NBA team is going to make a defensive stand that, well, stands out. The Celtics might be in one of those periods right now, having limited the 76ers to 78 points, the Bobcats to 84 over the last couple of games. The fact of the matter, though, is that the Celtics remain the best defensive team in the NBA, so this is just a heightened response to what’s already been a superlative performance.

“I thought last year defensively, it was fresh, it was new,” said Kevin Garnett, who’ll lead the Celtics against another tough defensive team, the Orlando Magic, tonight at the Garden. “This year, we know what to expect. We know rotations. I can look at Paul (Pierce) and know that him and I are about to switch on a specific play. I think we’re more in tune with each other but last year’s defense was something else. Hopefully we can get in that stride. We’re just finding our rhythm right now. Our defense is definitely ahead of our offense. That last year’s defense was beautiful to watch. Hopefully we can get back to that.”

The Celtics’ defense has allowed a league-low 90.1 points and .4076 field goal percentage. Moreover, the Celtics have had a way of stiffening, especially in the second half of several of the games that they’ve won. That’s a comfort knowing that they’ll be facing one of the better teams in the league, the Southeast Division leader, with Indiana and Portland coming to town Wednesday and Friday.

“I think we’re starting to hit our stride as of late,” Pierce said. “On both ends of the court, I think probably the last five games offensively we’ve really come around and I think our defense has been there from day one and will continue to get better, and like we continue to say, it’s a process to try to build and get better each and every game.”

Perhaps the best thing about the defense is that it’s leading to superb offense. The Celts have topped 100 points in five of the last eight games, averaging 113 points in three games leading into Charlotte (when they scored 89). They rank 14th in the league in scoring, at 98.2 points per game.

“I think it’s mainly our defense,” said Eddie House. “Our defense is creating turnovers. “We’re able to run in the open floor. I think it all starts with our defense, and once our defense gets to clicking, offensively we can execute, make the extra pass, and work the offense to our second or third option. We can get whatever we want.”

Certainly, these principles will come into effect against the Magic, who aren‘t exactly defensive slouches themselves. They rank 10th in points against (94.2), fifth in field goal defense (.4289), and second in blocks (7.0), although the Celtics have the upper hand in most categories. For instance, the C’s force a fourth-best 16.3 turnovers per game, the Magic a 17th-best 14.5 The C’s make a sixth-best 8.7 steals per game, the Magic an 18th-best 7.2.

Page 2 of 2 - The Magic also have something the Celtics haven’t faced this season: the best center in the league. Dwight Howard is averaging 21.8 points and league bests of 13.9 rebounds and 3.9 blocks. Even backup Tony Battie has shown something; he’s coming off a 20-point effort against Philadelphia Wednesday. Howard, though is a load. Only three players – Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Ben Wallace – have led the league in rebounding and blocks since blocked shots became an official stat.

An all-defensive second-teamer last year, Howard became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to have three 20-point/20-rebound games in a playoff series. He credits a conversation with Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing for turning him on to defense. “I love when somebody says I can’t do something,” Howard said. “It makes me want to go out and do it. After last year he would say stuff like ‘You can’t block that many shots.’ So it was like, OK let’s go show Pat that I can do it.”

Joining the all-time greats as a defensive standout, he said, would please him greatly. “It would be a great accomplishment. It’s one of the goals that I wrote down at the beginning of the year. And I’m gonna keep pushing to get it. I know the season just started but if I stay focused and committed to the task at hand, then I believe I can lead the league in blocks and rebounding.”